


There shouldn't be a good in goodbye

by LivingTheDream (frostedmist)



Category: Free!
Genre: Childhood, Fluff and Angst, Gou's adorable, M/M, More angst, Yaoi, missing moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-10-27
Packaged: 2017-12-30 16:23:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostedmist/pseuds/LivingTheDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>«He couldn't come. Their parents brought him to his grandmother's house after our victory and I haven't heard from him since. Probably something happened and they're still there since their house was locked».<br/>«Crap!»<br/>«Mom! Rin said a bad word!», Gou screamed, popping out from behind Makoto's back.<br/>«Oh, shut up, Gou!», Rin replied, rolling his eyes. «Well, it's fine», he said.<br/>But it wasn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There shouldn't be a good in goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to move to the english fandom. So, stay tuned for more translations! <3  
> A special thank to my lovely boyfriend who corrected the story.
> 
> Music: [Shouldn't Be A Good In Goodbye](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toiIdKJU-9U), Jason Walker.

The day had finally come.

The airport was so full of people Rin couldn't even try to make a head count, everybody moved so quickly and everyone seemed so confident of where they were going, who they had to meet, who they had to leave. Rin had never been a tall kid, so he just disappeared among all those young adults and serious businessmen who got on the moving staircase with their backpacks and briefcases. He just held onto his mother's hand, Gou's whining far away from his brain.

«Rin-chan!», he had heard, then saw Nagisa running towards him, hugging him with such warmth that he almost thought about missing him, when he would have been far away, busy becoming a champion in Australia. Missing that little pest.

Makoto arrived some seconds later, right before his father – a kind, tall man who had offered to bring the kids to say goodbye to him.

«Hi, Rin-chan. How do you feel?», Makoto smiled, and Rin felt more relaxed, immediately. He wished his father had had the same smile as Makoto's. 

«Well, a bit nervous, of course. But I'm fine. Yeah! Excited! This will be great!»

«Yeah, definitely!», Nagisa replied, while Makoto was looking at his father and Rin's mother move a few steps away to talk. He felt like he didn't know what else to say. After all, what do you say to someone you may not see ever again? Goodbye? Take care? I'll miss you? 

«I'm sorry you have to leave to follow your dream. We'll miss you», he said at last.

«I'll miss you guys too», he said, really meaning it. «But- where's Haru? He had promised he would have come!», Rin realized, looking around to save the last sparkle of his hope. They hadn't seen each other since the relay, and he didn't feel able to leave without at least _saying hi_ to him.

«He couldn't come. Their parents brought him to his grandmother's house after our victory and I haven't heard from him since. Probably something happened and they're still there since their house was locked».

«Crap!»

«Mom! Rin said a bad word!», Gou screamed, popping out from behind Makoto's back. 

«Oh, shut up, Gou!», Rin replied, rolling his eyes. «Well, it's fine», he said. 

But it wasn't. 

 

«... so this massive dog walks towards us barking and Makoto-»

«Attention please, the flight E058 for Sidney is now boarding. All the passengers are required at...», the message interrupted Nagisa's story, and Rin's mother smiled at him. _It's time to go, honey, say goodbye to your friends._

So, while Makoto's father was helping with the luggage check-in, Rin just jumped on Nagisa and Makoto and hugged them tight, pretending for a moment also Haru-chan was there, looking at him and saying goodbye without any words or even a smile. But he wasn't, so Rin just tucked in Makoto's hug as if it was a warm blanket and messed up Nagisa's hair, smiling.

«Goodbye, Rin!»

«Goodbye, Rin-chan!»

«Goodbye, Makoto, goodbye, Nagisa-kun! Goodbye!», said Rin. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. There was nothing _good_ in that goodbye. 

The Matsuoka family got up the tall mobile staircase, leaving the kids behind. Rin felt great. His new life was about to start, with new friends, new places, new chances of finally becoming the best in the world, for his father. He felt like that was the best thing that could happen to him, right in that moment.

Rin had turned back one last time, just to smile with his shark teeth to his friends once more, when he saw him: Haru was running towards the little group, followed by his parents who were trying to catch up with him. Rin could tell his dark hair and deep blue eyes even when he disappeared into the crowd just to reappear a few seconds later at the staircase's feet, where he was stopped by a flight attendant asking if he was a passenger.

Haru didn't answer him, he just stopped there, staring at Rin with those eyes which screamed abandon, affection, desire of just jumping past the attendant to run towards his friend for a last hug.

«Rin!», Haru shouted over the loud chatting and the automatic messages. «I'm sorry, Rin, forgive me! Please, take care! I'll miss you!»

In that very moment, everything Rin was sure about just fell apart, somewhere deep inside him. He couldn't leave. He just couldn't. He had to stay there, right where Haru was, training in their little swimming pool and his father would have been proud of him anyway, right? He didn't need Australia. He just needed his house, his school, his family, his team. Haru. 

Rin felt lost and wrong, so he left his mother's hand and ran down the moving stairs, bumping against tall men and elegant women in order to be faster than the steps and get to the bottom. He started to cry without even noticing, fear and sadness twisted his stomach – he was just a kid, he was too young to leave, better wait a year or two, right?

Rin didn't hear his mother calling him out loud, shouting at him to come back, he didn't hear his sister crying because her mother had picked her up too quickly, he didn't hear anything. His eyes were fixed onto Haru's surprise of seeing his friend just a few meters away, onto his happiness, onto his confusion.

They were so close yet so far away because his mother was so near: Rin just reached out with his hand to find Haru's, past the flight attendant, past all those loud people, past everyone who just _didn't understand_. Their fingers intertwined for a few seconds – _Goodbye_ , Haru whispered, right before Rin's mother grabbed his hand, angry and worried for his escape, taking him back on the staircase. 

Haru just stood still while the other two surrounded him, staring at Rin who couldn't help but cry, kick and shout that he didn't want to go anymore.

«I'll be here», Haru mouthed.

Rin wiped out the tears from his eyes and cheeks, nodding.

«I'll be here when you'll be back». _I promise_ , Haru told to himself.

And he did.


End file.
